SW News: Human rights organizations and the US government have called for the immediate release of a 19-year-old Uyghur University student who has been held in China’s Xinjiang since March on accusations of "advocating terrorism."

Kamile Wayit, a university student in Henan province, was arrested in December 2022 for posting a video on a social media platform about the November "white paper" protests, in which Chinese citizens displayed blank sheets of paper to protest against the COVID-19 restrictions and a lack of free expression.

According to Radio Free Asia, Chinese police detained Wayit while she was on vacation. In accordance with the Economist magazine, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said in June that she was convicted on March 25 but that the length of her sentence was not mentioned.

The US government, human rights groups, intellectuals, professors, and students have all called on China to release Wayit. A US State Department official voiced "concern" over Kamile Wayit's continued detention by Chinese authorities.

"We encourage the People's Republic of China to ensure respect for her human rights and fundamental freedoms, including all fair trial guarantees, and to swiftly and unconditionally release all wrongfully imprisoned prisoners," the statement stated.

Meanwhile, Maya Mitalipova, the director of MIT's Human Stem Cell Laboratory and a famous Uyghur activist, has committed to fighting for Wayit's release until she is free. An employee of the prosecutor's office in Kezilsu, Kyrgyz Autonomous Prefecture, allegedly refused to provide additional information regarding Wayit's penalty, citing national security concerns.

"Even Kamile Wayit's family has no right to inquire about her position until the court issues its final trial judgment," the staffer remarked. In the meantime, Wayit's family has raised concern for her well-being, recalling her father's confinement at a "re-education" camp in 2017.